STAR WARS: EPISODE VII Update: I Bent My Wookie

When we last chatted, there were few new rumours flying around, save for a sure shooting date. Hints have been dropped in the past about other "holy trilogy" characters making an appearance, and R2-D2 already seems all but confirmed.

THR is reporting today that Peter "Chewbacca" Mayhew is to make another appearance on the big screen in the as-yet-to-be-titled Episode 7 (my vote's still on Revenge of the Hope).

Again, not exactly shocking, but it does give credence to the thought of a certain Mr. Ford reprising his role as well. While we wait for official confirmation, why not read the extensive (and aptly named) Wookiepedia entry on the beast that Leia says she'd rather kiss (lies!), and let's take some time to enjoy some classic Chewie action from previous outings.

The one that started it all, Star Wars (later named Episode IV: A New Hope) brought out at about the hour mark a certain rogue smuggler and his trusty Kashyyyk sidekick. Remember, Obi-wan speaks to Chewie first, so chalk up to the old man an ability to speak grunt, or at least to get by well enough in a Cantina.

This still was merely for publicity, but since it's so damn iconic and was emblazoned on T-shirts and lunchboxes, it seems more than apt.

Life Day Celebrations, everyone! Yes, that's our dear Chewie in the ignominious Holiday Special, that Thanx-mas shitick that helped pollute late-70s broadcast television. Few have seen the travails of Lumpy, Itchy and Chewie's wife Malla, but I assure you, even as a kind of cutural artifact it's hard to sit through.

The Holiday Special DID however have this cool little animation smack in the middle, where we were introduced to a cunning new figure action-oriented character named Boba Fett (emphasis on "action figure"). This is a great little cartoon, and it's even included as an Easter Egg on the latest Blu-ray set. That said, I'm of the opinion that you should have to watch the whole interminable show in order to fully appreciate what a great little nugget this is in context.

Almost anyone nerdy has heard and/or seen bits of the Holiday Special, but for me the real treat of 70's shlock comes in the form of the Star Wars skit on The Donnie and Marie show.

Yeah, that's Chewie strangling Paul Lynde, something even as a child I knew was something that must have felt particularly cathartic.

It's amazing to watch, complete with line-dancing troopers. Do it... I dare you.

In Episode V Chewie is given gravitas - his mournful yelp when the doors close in Echo Base is one of the most effective emotional moments in the entire saga. Even though he did help obliterate my favourite character, it's still hard to not feel for the guy when he tries to beat the crap out of Storm Troopers while his friend and co-pilot is about to be dunked into a carbon freezing chamber. Spoiler: it all works out... kinda.

Yes, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was meant to have a planet full of Wookies taking on the Empire (and, yeah, it's a metaphor at the core idea of the Lucas-developed Apocalypse Now as well), but instead we got Ewoks fulfilling the same Cambellian process.

Still, when Boushh shows up with her "yaday yaday ya-d'oh!" moments, it's our trusted Wookie in chains that again steals the show.

With Episode III: Revenge of the Sith we finally got that Wookie fight we were promissed...kinda. There is Chewie yelping and kicking some Mech army butt, and we do get a far better sense of what the Kashyyykian landscape's like. Plus, they help Yoda escpape, making this galaxy far, far away seem even more prone to coincidence.

Forgetting the cartoons, and comics, and novels, and slew of other tie-ins, let this mention of The Clone Wars serve as a catch-all for all other Chewie appearances. It's a decent show, influenced by Lucas but run by smart and talented artists and story tellers. It's the model by which this next series of films (the trilogy and beyond) are going to follow, and I still remain cautiously optimistic that like with CW they won't fuck it up.

Well, he didn't really do the voice (a combination of a bear, warlrus and other sounds). My understanding was that he used a "scooter", not a full wheelchair, so they could concievably still shoot in (briefly) in the suit, and/or shoot closeups of him.

At this point its 100% nostalgia, of course, no reason another couldn't fill the costume. Still, there's something fun about the continuity of it all that makes it seem like something worth doing.

They continued to give Kenny Baker credit for R2 long after he wasn't inside that as well, so it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.